Sand stargazer
Dactyloscopus tridigitatus
The sand stargazers ( Dactyloscopidae ) are a family of very small soil-inhabiting fish from the order of mucus Fishy ( Blennioidei ).
Features
The only 2.5 to 15 inches long expectant animals have an elongated body, a hard shell permanent mouth, a broad head and facing very projecting upward eyes. Her lips are provided with fleshy fringes, the teeth are tiny. The gill opening is large and gives the gill membrane free. The gill cover is fitted at its upper margin with 4-25 Hautfrasen. The throat constant pelvic fins have only one hard jet and three soft rays. The dorsal fin is long has 7 to 23 hard and 12 to 36 soft rays. Both portions of the dorsal fin may be separated, but also grown together. The anal fin is long with 21 to 41 soft rays. The fish have relatively large roundhouse, belly and head are scaleless. The lateral line starts high above the pectorals and then bends down from the side centerline. Sand stargazers are brownish, reddish or pale color, sometimes streaked with a marble pattern or.
Dissemination
The animals inhabit the tropical and subtropical coastal regions of the Americas. 19 species live on the Atlantic side of the coast of the United States to Brazil, 24 species live on the east coast of the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California to Chile.
Way of life
Sand stargazers live in the sea from the intertidal zone to depths of 100 meters, some species in the brackish waters of estuaries or in the lower reaches of rivers. They burrow into the sandy soil, so look out, the only mouth and eyes. The males of some species operate brood care and protect their spawning between the broad pectoral fins.
Genera and species
There are nine genera and 48 species:
- Genus Dactylagnus Gill, 1863 Dactylagnus mundus ( Gill, 1863)
- Dactylagnus parvus ( Dawson, 1976)
- Dactylagnus peratikos ( Bohlke & Caldwell, 1961)
- Dactyloscopus amnis Miller & Briggs, 1962
- Dactyloscopus boehlkei Dawson, 1982
- Dactyloscopus byersi Dawson, 1969
- Dactyloscopus comptus Dawson, 1982
- Dactyloscopus crossotus Starks, 1913
- Dactyloscopus fimbriatus ( Reid, 1935)
- Dactyloscopus foraminosus Dawson, 1982
- Dactyloscopus lacteus ( Myers & Wade, 1946)
- Dactyloscopus lunaticus Gilbert, 1890
- Dactyloscopus metoecus Dawson, 1975
- Dactyloscopus minutus Dawson, 1975
- Dactyloscopus moorei ( Fowler, 1906)
- Dactyloscopus pectoralis Gill, 1861
- Dactyloscopus poeyi Gill, 1861
- Dactyloscopus tridigitatus Gill, 1859
- Dactyloscopus zelotes Jordan & Gilbert, 1896
- Gillellus arenicola ( Gilbert, 1890)
- Gillellus chathamensis ( Dawson, 1977)
- Gillellus greyae ( Kanazawa, 1952)
- Gillellus healae ( Dawson, 1982)
- Gillellus inescatus ( Williams, 2002)
- Gillellus jacksoni ( Dawson, 1982)
- Gillellus ornatus ( Gilbert, 1892)
- Gillellus searcheri ( Dawson, 1977)
- Gillellus semicinctus ( Gilbert, 1890)
- Gillellus uranium idea ( Bohlke, 1968)
- Heteristius cinctus Osburn & Nichols, 1916
- Leurochilus acon Bohlke, 1968
- Myxodagnus belone ( Bohlke, 1968)
- Myxodagnus Macrognathus ( Hildebrand, 1946)
- Myxodagnus opercularis ( Gill, 1861)
- Myxodagnus sagitta ( Myers & Wade, 1946)
- Myxodagnus walkeri ( Dawson, 1976)
- Platygillellus altivelis ( Dawson, 1974)
- Platygillellus brasiliensis ( Feitoza, 2002)
- Platygillellus bussingi ( Dawson, 1974)
- Platygillellus rubellulus (Kendall & Radcliffe, 1912)
- Platygillellus rubrocinctus ( Longley, 1934)
- Platygillellus smithi ( Dawson, 1982)
- Sindoscopus australis ( Fowler & Bean, 1923)
- Storrsia Olsoni Dawson, 1982